There's no way to catch everything that Michigan Radio airs during the week.

Here are some highlights from this week's shows, in case you missed them!

“The Fed: Policy and Transparency”

On Wednesday, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Ben Bernanke held the first news conference in the Fed’s 98-year history.

On Thursday, Diane Rehm spoke to a panel about the conference’s contents, its historical significance, and the effectiveness of the Fed’s recent economic policy decisions.

“Ravitch: Standardized Testing Undermines Teaching”

Former Assistant Secretary of Education was once an advocate for No Child Left Behind. Now she is a blistering critic of charter school programs like NCLB and President Obama’s Race to the Top.

This piece may be of particular interest to listeners who have been following recent news about the Detroit Public Schools and collective bargaining legislation in Wisconsin and Ohio.

“Foster Wallace: An Ordinary Guy Who Couldn't Be”

More of a summary of a career than a book review, Fresh Air’s John Powers hits the highlights of David Foster Wallace’s outstanding and tragically shortened career, including The Pale King, an unfinished novel, which was released recently.

-Brian Short, Michigan Radio News